Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:17:31 -0700
From: Dragonwriter
Subject: A Fairy Tale in Flight 4
Chaos and Fire
The rest of May flowed past leisurely like leaves in a
stream. Mother left in Milady's entourage and I solemnly promised her I
wouldn't fight with Lehi, praying fervently that I wouldn't make a liar of
myself. As promised, she left Mellys behind, which made me feel better
knowing I had one more friend in the castle. Father didn't summon me again,
nor did our paths cross, however, Lehi came to talk to me a few more times,
but I remained resolute that I wasn't going to marry. The bruise on my hand
disappeared like it had never existed, Tamas had been alternatingly
dismayed that I was hurt and proud that I had stood up for myself.
"Lehi tisnt likely give up easily wi` just a punch from you," he
said softly.
"I know," I answered, shifting against his body, my head pillowed
on his arm, my leg drapped over his. "I just wish I knew what he was
planning."
"Well whate'er it is, I'll no let you go," Tamas' arm tightened
around my shoulders. I snuggled up close, sleepy from the previous activity
and the heat of the firedrake.
Perhaps with the continued passing of time and no new word from
Father, Tamas and I let our guard down and became too relaxed with the way
things were. So it was that I was in the smithy courtyard, one lazy
afternoon early in June, copying an ancient text for a local baron, when I
heard the sound of horses and men-at-arms on the cobbles outside the
smithy. Leaping to my feet, I was nearly across the courtyard when I heard
Tamas' shout of outrage. Silently cursing Lehi, I burst through the door
into the smithy to find Lehi, Father and a row of men at arms, one of which
had Teru bent over in an armlock. Tamas stood in front of the rear
worktable holding a sledgehammer. I quickly scanned the room but couldn't
see Kinna or Noah and I hoped that they were hiding somewhere safe.
"Father! Lehi, what is the meaning of this?" I shouted, striding
purposefully into the room.
"This is the meaning, Nicco," Father said, holding up a paper
roll. He unrolled it and read it solemnly.
"Be it known, that as of this day the 6th of June in the Year of
Our Lord 1398, as a result of numerous vocal complaints the smithy at the
end of The Street of the Carpenters is to be closed and the inhabitants are
to be removed from the town, due to foul smells, smoke clogging the city,
alarm of the good citizens about fire and for being a great nuisance-"
"Nuisance? What complaints?" Tamas roared, flame sparking in his
eyes and rippling down his braid. Father waved him silent and went on
reading.
"Be in also known that one Tamas Kindersson, said Master of the
smithy is charged with being a pernicious influence on the young folk of
the town and the gentle folk of the castle, and is to be declared an
outlaw. All his goods and lands are to be forfeited to His Lordship and
should said smith rashly show his face within a 100 mile radius, all
decent, right minded folk shall be obliged to end his life where he
stands." He rolled up the proclamation. "That's all, smith."
"Father!" I cried, starting across the smithy to him. However, Lehi
intercepted me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me tightly
into an embrace. His hand tightened painfully on my arm and I winced in
pain.
"There, there, Nicco, it's over now. He won't force you anymore,"
he said, his voice gentle in spite of his fingers digging into my bicep.
"Force me! You daft, stupid idiot! I love him," I said, struggling
to get loose.
"So you said, and I offered you a fair solution," he said softly in
my ear in a voice full of menace.
Ice water flooded down my back as I took in the full implication of
Lehi's words. I had been offered a compromise in the form of marrying a
dowager and moving Tamas' smithy near her manor. My refusal to agree had
brought about disaster and ruin for the smithy and outlawry for Tamas. For
a moment, I went limp in horror as the realization of just how much I had
underestimated Father sunk in. My certainty that we had plenty of time due
to lengthy negotiations had lulled me into a false sense of safety. Lehi's
hand again tightened painfully on my arm. This time, instead of sorrow,
anger bubbled up in me. How dare they treat my beloved so cavalierly!
I spun away from Lehi, kicking and swinging my free fist at him in
a vain attempt to break his grip. However, Lehi had the advantage of
strength and height, and I was unable to break free. Tamas roared and
leaped at Lehi, who jerked me back into his grasp and placing me between
him and Tamas. Tamas stopped so fast he nearly fell forward from momentum
into my arms. Fire rippled down his face and chest, dripping to the floor
in large teardrop shaped splatters. The men at arms stepped back in fear,
metal armor was not something to be worn in a fire and the one holding
Teru, inadverently released him as he stepped backwards rapidly. Teru shot
across the smithy to the forge where he hefted one of the larger
sledgehammers. He panted and gritted his teeth, ready to defend himself and
his Master. I heard a shout of outrage from the door and the sounds of
people demanding answers, apparently the noise had attracted the
villagers. Lehi's arm was painfully locked around my shoulders and no
matter how much I struggled to break free, I was unable to get
loose. However, I heard several grunts from behind me and I knew that my
blows weren't entirely ineffective.
"I appear to have the upper hand here, peasant." Lehi said,
spitting out the word `peasant`.
"You-," Tamas growled out a particularily foul word. "Unhand
Nicco."
"Oh I don't think so, smith," Lehi said softly, his voice colored
with pleasure. "You're an outlaw and I'm not about to hand my precious
little brother over to a villein like yourself."
"Lehi," I shouted, renewing my struggling. "Let me go!"
Slamming my booted foot down on the top of his, he let out a howl
of outrage and shifted his balance. Taking advantage of his distraction, I
sunk my teeth into Lehi's arm just above his glove. He screamed in pain and
outrage, flinging me away from him. I stumbled on the rough cobbles of the
smithy floor and went over backwards. Fear flooded my senses as I felt
myself falling towards the ground. My head split as a roar of anger cut
through it like a sword thrust and I threw my hands up to my ears to stop
it. My fall stopped abruptly as a warm arm wrapped around my waist and I
gasped as the wind was half knocked out of me. Heat flooded me, and the
smell of singing clothing, I went limp in relief.
"Nicco, stop it!" Father's voice . His sharp hawk like eyes pieced
me to the quick and I slid, in fear, out of Tamas' grasp to the floor.
Father strode across the floor towards me, anger plainly etched on
his face. I scrabbled backwards a few feet, unconsciously putting Tamas
between Father and me. Tamas growled that low animal like growl and seemed
to expand as the flame renewed itself and wrapped around him once again,
spreading out in a pillar much like the one at the fire rite the previous
summer. Fire dripped off him like a waterfall, hissing as it hit the floor
and I scrabbled backwards until my back was pressed to the workbench. This
was not the man I loved, this was an angered beast preparing to attack. The
column of fire expanded upwards and outwards blocking my view of the smithy
and sending people scrabbling for safety, particularly the ones lured in
from the town by the noise and the soldiers. Somewhere nearby, Lehi swore
loudly. I could smell hot metal and even hotter wood as the flame burned
brighter and fiecer, if someone didn't stop him soon, the whole smithy
would go up in flames. I stood up and looked around frantically, but there
was no water nearby nor anything else to distract him from his fury. Seeing
no alternative, I grabbed Tamas' heavy leather apron off the work table,
threw it over my head and flung myself at Tamas. Behind me I heard a young
voice shout "Nicco, no!"
Through the whirl of flame and the heat, I stumbled blindly until
I hit something large, solid and very familiar feeling. I knew it was Tamas
even though I didn't dare drop the apron to look. The thumping of his
heartbeat and the roar of the flame mixed together in a noise that deafened
me. Grasping his shirt, I tried shaking him but there was no response. The
smell of burning wood was getting stronger and I knew if I didn't stop him
the whole town might burn. I hissed in pain as the fire licked at my
clothes. In desperation, I took a deep breath of overheated air and dropped
the apron. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I could hear and smell my own
clothes burning and the pain in my hands had reached a point where I
couldn't feel it anymore. I screamed in my head as loud as I could.
"Tamas! Kinder! Help me, Kinder!"
"Tamas!" I screamed as the fire singed through my hose.
"Nicco?" Tamas said in surprise.
The fire disappeared as fast as it had erupted and I fell to the
floor as the muscles in my arms surrendered to the pain, smelling burnt
cloth and burnt leather. A bucket of water splashed over me and I jumped in
surprise. Looking up, I saw Teru stood above me with a bucket in his hands
and as I opened my mouth to speak another hit me in the face before Noah
took off for the well as I sputtered and coughed.
"You damned peasants, you're going to drown him!" Lehi roared in
outrage.
"E's fair burnt to a crisp!" Teru shouted back at him. "If we dohn
stop tha burn it'll kill him!"
"Lehi," I started as another bucket poured down my front.
"Nicco!" A small body dove into my lap and I screamed in pain. Lehi
scooped Bitte up, his hand cracking sharply across the boy`s face.
"You little Gypsy brat!" He said sharply. "I'll kill you yet!"
Bitte swung his boot clad foot out and caught Lehi in the
kneecap. Lehi howled in pain and dropped the boy, who scrambled out of his
reach. Bitte stood by the back door panting, his eyes like a pair of black
moons in a very white face. He looked from me to Lehi and back to me,
pleading for reassurance.
"Lehi, leave him alone," I said weakly as a fourth bucket sloshed
over me. I shivered suddenly cold, my teeth chattering. "Bitte, go, don't
let them catch you. Go someplace safe." Bitte shook his head weakly.
"Bitte," I said sharply. "I promised your Gran, I'd take care of
you, right now I can't, so GO NOW!"
Lehi made a gesture and one of the soldiers stepped forward to grab
the boy. Bitte looked ready to burst into tears, but he dodged the soldier
and bolted out the door, across the courtyard towards the stable. Lehi
yelled at the soldier, who took off after him. I wasn't terribly worried
about him catching the boy, and I because I had learned quite a bit about
the village mentality in the last year, I was certain the villagers would
find ways to be accidentally "in the way" of his pursuer. A soft whimper
beside me brought my attention back to myself. Leaning over me, Tamas' face
was a mask of horror, his eyes full of tears.
"Nicco? My beloved mate..." his voice trailed off, as the full
impact of what his flame had done sunk into him. Slowly he reached out a
hand towards me.
"Dammit, you demon! Haven't you done enough already?" Lehi shouted,
grabbing at Tamas.
Tamas reacted as I expected he would, his arm lashing backwards out
of Lehi's grip. He raised his arm in a fist and fire raced down his arm and
around the fist. One look at his face and fear stabbed deep into me. His
lips were curled back in an inhuman snarl and his canines looked longer and
sharper than ever. Fire sparked in his eyes and my head split apart from
the dragon's roar. His heartbeat raged in my head like drums. Once before I
had seen him on the brink of changing while enraged, but this time was even
more terrifying. If someone didn't stop him, he would transform into the
dragon and Heaven alone only knew if anyone would survive the
experience. All around noise and confusion hammered at me and I heard Nayne
scream at her son. Teru, perhaps following the same line of thought as I,
leaped forward to grab his Master and was roughly shaken off. He flew
backwards hitting the wall with an audible grunt.
Lehi, for his part, leaned over me, refusing to back down, despite
the fear in his eyes. He stood, sword raised in a defensive stance, his
eyes flickering from the flaming man in front of him to the door.I heard
Father give a curt order and his men fanned out behind him, swords and
lances at the ready. Silently, I thanked Heaven that no one had thought it
necessary to bring bows.
"Tamas! Lehi!" I cried in a throat raw from fire and screaming. But
neither man appeared willing to listen.
"I should gut you where you stand, demon," Lehi hissed, leaning
forward. Tamas' only response was another roar.
Behind me I heard a chatter of voices and the sound of shifting
feet. My consciousness seemed to be coming and going like waves, which
strangely seemed to enhance several of my senses. Noise from the crowd seem
as loud as thunder and a pair of feet thumped unevenly across the floor of
the smithy, shaking my head. The sharp smell of burnt flesh made my nose
sting and I shivered, a long spasm that wracked my body painfullyfrom one
end to the other. Then suddenly a silence fell that was so powerful it
seemed to smother me and I thought "This is it, I'm dying."
"Hai hai, haint yeh boys doon enough a'ready?" Said a sharp voice,
that sounded quite used to wielding authority. "Or are yeh goon ta finish
killin `im, ri' now?"
"Master William?" Tamas asked, dropping his arm. Slowly the fire
dampened down to a low glow under his skin. My vision receded until
everything looked very far away, my eyelids felt heavy; slowly my eyes slid
shut and my cold body shook convulsively.
"Hai brat, yeh still determined ta burn ever teeng what crosses yer
path?" the voice said. "Hai, lad, yeh've ri' done yeh fair to a crisp, yeh
have," continued the new voice sounding very close to me. A gentle prod
poked at the remains of my charred doublet.
"Wait a moment!" Father's voice cut through the haze in my head,
abruptly bringing me back to the smithy. "Who are you?"
"Ahz tha one what's goon ta save yer son's life, thah's oo Ah'm,"
the voice said sharply. "Oi oi, theh lad, no more water, yeh've doon cooled
`im down ta tha point of freezing tha poor lad. Ah'll be treatin `im fer
freezing near ta death, not thah tha fire's no 'alf kilt `im already."
Somewhere I couldn't see, I heard a bucket clang on the floor and
water slosh; Kinna whimpered and then burst into tears. I heard Noah's
voice softly comforting him. My limbs and chest felt heavy as if they had
boulders sitting on them and voices sounded as if people were talking
through cloth over their mouths. I shivered again and felt something hot
near me.
"Nah nah, lad yer flame will ony make `im worse, twill dry out tha
burns and no heat `is insides. Yeh really are a lunkhead, are yeh not?" The
voice sounded amused. "Paddy, my lad, close yer mouth and get yeh out to
fetch tha burn salve. Heh, yeh better bring two pots. An summun geh `im
some warm broth. Oh thank yeh, Mistress Nayne." I heard the sound of soft
cloth and a blanket fell over me. Footsteps rattled my body as people
headed off in opposite directions.
"Blunt as ever, Master William," Nayne said fondly. The dry voice
harrumphed. "Will Nicco be all right?"
"Hard ta tell at this moment, Mistress, `e's inna bad way. 'ere
lads roll `im o'er onta tha blanket out o' tha water." Rough hands grabbed
at me and I cried out in pain. "Oi, yeh great divils! Can yeh no see tha
lad's burned? May yeh rot fer no bein gentle!"
This time, the hands that rolled me over barely touched my arms;
still I whimpered at the pain in my body, but it appeared that my back was
less burnt. I heard a whispered oath and a cry that sounded like Tamas. In
my ears, I heard his heartbeat and I reached for it, willing my own heart
to pound in rhythm. Gentle fingers touched my throat.
"'Is 'eartbeat is strong, perhaps `e's listening to summun's `eart,
eh?" The dry voiced chuckled.
"Nicco," Tamas sobbed.
I heard leather creak and then the sound of a fist connecting with
flesh. Nayne let out another shriek and a crash followed on it's
heels. Noise filled my ears, blocking out Tamas' heartbeat for a moment
before te noise retreated and far away I heard shouting.
"Damn you! You're already an outlaw, if he dies you'll be a
murderer and there'll be no place safe in the country for you," Lehi's
voice snarled. "Secure him, men!"
"Tamas!" Nayne shouted.
Again noise filled my ears and overwhelmed my senses. Cracking my
eyes just enough to see, I beheld an image I would never have thought I'd
ever see. Tamas was held between two men-at-arms, each one securing an arm,
a third one stood behind him, a handful of flame colored hair in his
gauntlet. Tamas' eyes, squeezed shut, leaked tears. A trickle of blood
dripped from his nose.
"Tamas," I whispered.
"Ohhh? Yer back wi' us, eh?"
I turned my head toward the voice. A longish face framed by copper
colored curls peered down at me. Bright eyes twinkled at me above a mouth
curving in a half smile. Surprisingly, the healer looked to be fairly young
and I remembered Nayne telling me he was the son of the old healer. `He`s
not as good as his mother was, more impatient, but he`s better'n the
doctors up there,' she'd said; at the moment he looked like angel to me.
"Don't let them hurt him," I whispered.
"Heh, yeh needs ta be worryin aboot yehsef, young Master," he
answered sharply.
"Please?" I whispered, grabbing his hand and biting the inside of
my cheek against the pain in my hands. The healer sighed and smiled.
"'E'll be all ri', tisnt tha fate o' tha firedrake ta die `ere," he
said.
A blond boy of about Noah's age pushed through the press of people
to Master William's side. Two earthenware jars were cradled in his arms and
a small leather bag dangled from his teeth. The healer looked at him,
raised an eyebrow and nodded. The boy's face turned red; the healer waved
the lad to him. The boy looked down at me and he swallowed, his eyes
wide. Master William eased himself to the floor, a stiff leg being the
source of the uneven tread I had heard earlier. He turned sideways resting
the unbending right leg along side my body. Reaching to his belt, he pulled
out his knife and had cut off most of what remained of my clothes before
anyone could react. I heard intakes of breath and whispered prayers behind
me.
"Nicco," Tamas whispered. "Why, Nicco?"
"I couldn't let you burn the town down, I had to save everyone," I
whispered.
"Hai hai, no more talkin fer yeh, young master, yer throat's all
raw like tha rest o' yeh. Ahh thank yeh, Mistress."
He took the mug Nayne held out and sniffed, then blew on
it. Satisfied with the temperature, he took the leather bag from his young
apprentice with a grunt of satisfaction. Reaching inside he found a small
twist of paper and opening one end he sprinkled some of it into the cup and
blew on it. He looked at the lad, Paddy, and jerked his head towards me.
"Hai lad, lif' 'is shoulders careful like. Hai, like thah," The
healer nodded as Paddy carefully raised me into a semi sitting
position. Master William held the cup to my lips. Warm but not hot broth
slid down my throat; I could feel the heat radiating out through me.
"'S bitter," I murmured.
"Hai, thas tha drug, yeh'll go to sleep 'ere in a few," He said
softly. "Mum dint approve o' such drugs but Ah doon think a body need 'urt
more'n necessary."
"I have to take him back to the castle," Father said sharply.
"Hai hai, Ah'm sure you do, canna let sooch a val'ble commod'ty
outta yer sight," the healer said in that nearly omniscient way peasant
have of knowing their better's business. "Well, `e'll be asleep in a few an
wi' a stretcher slung tween two `orses, `e'll make tha trip fair well
enough."
"You come too, and the lad," Father said sharply.
"Hai, canna let tha scapegoat outta yer sight eitheh," the healer
said imperturbably.
Father snarled out a curse and turned to his men ordering two of
them to go fetch the castle stretcher. Master William hmmed to himself and
nodded to Paddy to lie my head down. Gently, both healers spread the
cooling salve from the jars all over my body. I shivered again and wrinkled
my nose from the stench. Master William loosely wrapped the blanket, which
I now saw was Nayne's fine quilt, around me. Tears leaked out of my eyes,
because of me it was ruined. Master William's head leaned very close to me
and he made a gesture that drew Nayne's head close as well.
"Yeh'd best git outta here, Mistress, round up them chilrun and yer
Da and git out while theh's all distracted. Now doon gimme thah look, yer
lad can take care o' himself and this wee lad ain't hurt near so bad as `is
da thinks `e `is." He looked down at me and winked. "Yeh're lucky, lad,
that fire din burn yeh near so bad as it looks. Must be love, eh?"
"And yeh were wearing proper woolen hose, wool stops itsef from
burnin, unlike that fancy cotton tha ladies like so much these days."
I opened my mouth to answer but words wouldn't come and I closed it
puzzled. Master William's face tipped sideways and the whole room turned on
it's side. I was puzzled that no one fell over, now that the floor was the
wall and I giggled.
"Ah, tha drug is workin," the healer said from below me. He made a
shooing gesture to Nayne, who backed slowly out of my sight.
It didn't take long for the men to return from the castle and I
hoped that Nayne had rounded up Kinna, Noah, Gisela and Grandfather and
spirited them away, but I daren't ask for fear of bringing Father's
attention back to them, not that I was certain I could make my voice come
out anyway. I wished that Father's frantic sounding voice was concern over
me, but I was sure it was concern over whatever deal he'd negotiated.
Following directions from the healer, several men carefully lifted
me by the edges of the quilt onto the stretcher. I winced at being jarred
around but the the burn salve and the drug in my soup were doing their job
and the pain was receding. Likewise I was also falling asleep. The horses
bearing the stretcher started across the square followed by Father, Lehi
and the men-at-arms. My eyes fogged but I could see Tamas, being tied to
the saddle of a horse, the rope just long enough for him to walk along side
the horse.
"All right, that's taken care of, burn the place to the ground,"
Father said, looking back.
"NO!!!!" Tamas roared as my consciousness let go and I slipped into
darkness...